Thursday, June 29, 2017

September 2017 Solicits

The September solicits for DC Comics were recently revealed and there is a lot of stuff that grabbed my attention. For me, the Supergirl, Superwoman, and Action Comics solicits are very interesting. And there are some trades being released that make me think I need to save my pennies.

SUPERGIRL #13
Written by STEVE ORLANDO
Art and cover by ROBSON ROCHA and DANIEL HENRIQUES
Variant cover by STANLEY “ARTGERM” LAU
“EMERALD ERADICATION” finale! It’s the final showdown between Supergirl and
Emerald Empress. Supergirl’s life has been torn asunder and she’s not going to
let Emerald Empress get away with it. But is it too late to repair the damage
and remain the hero she’s built herself to be?

Okay, let's get started. First off, that is a crazy cover with a fierce Supergirl ripping apart the Emerald Eye! That is a great image! And Artgerm on the variant should be beautiful (although I will miss Bengal).

And then the solicit about Supergirl trying to remain above the fray after having her life destroyed grabbed me. Steve Orlando has really made Kara a hero, helping people and being optimistic. So we'll see if personal problems make her backtrack.

ACTION COMICS #987

Written by DAN JURGENSArt by VIKTOR BOGDANOVICLenticular cover by NICK BRADSHAWVariant cover by MIKEL JANIN“THE OZ EFFECT” part one! The agents of the mysterious Mr. Oz begin to move as
the Man of Steel works to stop the chaos they unleash in Metropolis and across
the globe. But when Mr. Oz steps from the shadows his identity rocks the Last
Son of Krypton to his core. The story that began in DC Universe: Rebirth #1
begins to end here!ACTION COMICS #988Written by DAN JURGENSArt by PATCH ZIRCHERLenticular cover by NICK BRADSHAWVariant cover by MIKEL JANIN“THE OZ EFFECT” part two! As Superman struggles with the ramifications of Mr.
Oz’s identity, the mysterious figure’s origins and the long road to Superman’s
doorstep finally reveal themselves.

Finally, Mr. Oz's identity is revealed! I was hoping that the cover would give some hint about who Oz is. While this cover doesn't shed too much light, it does add some mystery. The S-Shield is made up of beings. Some look alien (insect wings, bird wings, weird faces). Some look like New Gods. Some look like humans. So who are they? People Oz has manipulated? Captured? Killed?

SUPERMAN #30
Written by PETER J. TOMASI, PATRICK GLEASON and KEITH CHAMPAGNE
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and JAIME MENDOZA
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
Variant cover by JORGE JIMENEZ
“FEAR ITSELF” part two! This looks like a job for...Sinestro?! Thrust into the
anti-matter universe of Qward, Superman’s only hope is the former greatest of
the Green Lanterns!

SUPERMAN #31
Written by PETER J. TOMASI and PATRICK GLEASON
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and JAIME MENDOZA
Cover by RYAN SOOK
Variant cover by JORGE JIMENEZ
“IMPERIUS LEX!” It’s a game of thrones on Apokolips as the lords of the dreaded
world battle each other to claim its rule. Lex Luthor is summoned back to the
warring planet, and he will need Superman to help him reclaim a crown he did
not ask for. Meanwhile, Lois is confronted by the Female Furies and Jon faces
the Children of the Firepits.

The cover doesn't seem to match the story solicits. It also reminded me of the famous rescue from Superman Returns.The Lex story probably riffs back to the storyline in Action where the precog police want to kill Lex as they saw him ascending the throne of Apokolips. So I like that big continuity. And it is a family thing too! Lois and the Furies! Cool!!

SUPER SONS #8
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art and cover by JORGE JIMENEZ
Variant cover by DUSTIN NGUYEN
“Planet of the Capes” part three! The Super Sons find themselves blasted across
the cosmos to a weird world called Yggardis. As Superboy and Robin endeavor to
stop this strange place’s super-powered factions from killing each other, can a
horde of ultra-powerful aliens, some sentient multiversal clay and a showdown
with the villain Kraklow stop them from getting back to Earth?

A cosmic adventure for the sons? Sounds like fun! Yggardis sounds like Yggsardil so I wonder if there is a Norse sort of feel to the whole thing.

SUPERWOMAN #14
Written by K. PERKINS
Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA and ART THIBERT
Cover by KEN LASHLEY
Variant cover by RENATO GUEDES
“SUPERMAX” part one! Meet Superwoman’s newest roommate—Maxima?! When the
galaxy’s foremost forger of heroes finds herself in need of a hero herself, she
turns to Superwoman and the planet Earth. But Supergirl has unfinished business
with her former mentor, bringing the Girl of Steel to Metropolis and into the
clutches of the real Maxima!

I am a big fan of K. Perkins Supergirl run which introduced us to the New 52 Maxima, a younger princess of Almarac going through some self-discovery. So I am thrilled ... THRILLED ... that Perkins will be writing both Kara and Maxima in this Superwoman book. The idea that there is a 'real' Maxima makes me think the 'Rebirth' DCU will reinstate the classic Maxima. So maybe the younger one was posing?Regardless, I am so pumped for this issue!

NEW SUPER-MAN #15
Written by GENE LUEN YANG
Art by BRENT PEEBLES
Cover by PHILIP TAN
Variant cover by BERNARD CHANG
“Equilibrium” part one! A simple recon mission to gather intel on the new
Super-Man of China goes pear-shaped when Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad find
themselves trapped in the siege of Shanghai and must team up with the Justice
League of China to defeat Emperor Super-Man!

Well, sales on New Super-Man are sort of dwindling, so why not try to inflate things and get some new readers by bringing in the Suicide Squad as guests. Who doesn't love Harley Quinn these days? And we are still battling Emperor Super-Man 3 months from now. Hmmm ....

I don't think I have heard of Brent Peeples on art before but that Philip Tan cover is great.

BOMBSHELLS UNITED #1Written by MARGUERITE BENNETTArt by MARGUERITE SAUVAGECover by TERRY DODSON and RACHEL DODSONVariant cover by BABS TARRThe Bombshells are back in an all-new series! As our new tale begins, the year
is 1943, and Wonder Woman is called to Arizona for help by two young girls
named Cassie Sandsmark and Donna Troy! The girls’ friends and families are
being displaced from their homes and forced into internment camps! To save
them, can Wonder Woman fight against the same people she once fought alongside?BOMBSHELLS UNITED 2Written by MARGUERITE BENNETTArt by MARGUERITE SAUVAGECover by STEPHANIE HANSWonder Woman has set up refuge for Cassie Sandsmark and Donna Troy’s friends
and families in the middle of a forest—but displacement is displacement, and
they want to go home. Then, to make matters worse, a spy has infiltrated the
camp! Has Wonder Woman put everyone in even greater peril?

Okay. The conundrum of the month.

DC Bombshells sort of languished a bit for a while. Then the current Supergirl story grabbed my attention again. But then I thought that overall the book was a bit in disarray.

And then they cancelled and decided to reboot in September.

So do I sample it? Supergirl isn't mentioned at all.

I guess we'll see if I decide to bit the bullet and sample.

SUPERGIRL VOL. 2: ESCAPE FROM THE PHANTOM
ZONE TP
Written by STEVE ORLANDO and VITA AYALA
Art by BRIAN CHING, MATIAS BERGARA and ELEANORA CARLINI
Cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Supergirl enters the mind of a Kryptonian monster to stop a killer and goes on
a
suicide mission to restore sanity within the D.E.O! Plus, in the aftermath of
“Superman Reborn,” Kara meets Superman again (for the first time) to face the
evil of the Emerald Empress! And Supergirl is trapped in the Phantom Zone with
Batgirl! Collects SUPERGIRL #7-11 and a story from BATGIRL ANNUAL #1.

The second Supergirl Rebirth trade will come out in September.

How I wish we got a little foreword from creators before these things.

SUPERGIRL VOL. 3: PETER DAVID TP
Written by PETER DAVID, DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING
Art by LEONARD KIRK, PRENTICE ROLLINS, ROBIN RIGGS, DUSTY ABELL, BUTCH GUICE
and others
Cover by LEONARD KIRK and ROBIN RIGGS
The 1990s adventures of Supergirl continue—and there’s a new hero in her
hometown of Leesburg: Comet! But why does this dashing new hero need so much
help from the Girl of Steel? Plus, the Female Furies drag Supergirl to
Apokolips, and Matrix returns—and it wants Supergirl’s identity! This volume
includes guest appearances by Steel, Resurrection Man. Collects SUPERGIRL
#21-31, SUPERGIRL #1,000,000 and RESURRECTION MAN #16-17!

But this is the trade that I was really glad to see! Supergirl Volume 3 from the Peter David run!

We really get into the Earth Angel arc, we meet Comet, and we move the overall plot along nicely in these issues! I really loved this series, especially the first 50 issues so I love that this is being collected in this way!

8 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Supergirl's cover is really grabbing-attention. And her life has been torn asunder? What will Emerald Empress do to Kara and how will Supergirl respond?

So we'll finally get some answers as to the mystery of Mr. Oz? Cool. I'm afraid Mr. Oz will not be Grant Morrison's Imp, but I don't think he's Ozymandias either. After all, hs identity "will rock Superman to the core". Will Superman learn something about the Multiverse? He'll remember he and Lois were split and lived parallel lives? What if it's revealed Earth-One, Earth-Two, New Earth, Earth Prime... are the same universe which is periodically changed by Dr. Manhattan? And will Supergirl play some kind of role in this two-parts arc?

I really want to read that Supwerwoman issue. A Supergirl appearance, a reference to the "Crucible" arc and I'm intrigued by that "real Maxima" mention.

The Bombshells' issues don't sound interesting. DC probably thinks the book needs a shake-up. Hence, the cancelling-and-rebooting and the change of scenery.

Can I say I think DC does a lousy job numbering their TPBs? Anyone doesn't know better will think the third volume continues the story of the second, and both feature the same Supergirl...

Looks like DC Comics has finally hooked me into their Superwoman series....and the new PAD Supergirl collection is already on pre-order (that volume has some of my favorite issues of that great run inside...can't wait!). New Supergirl #13 could make for quite an eye-shattering conclusion (yeah, pun intended). There's always going to be unexpected consequences for our super-heroine.

It would fit well with what he said very early on about "teaching" Superman, and would certainly fit with shaking Superman to his core.

But then again, "daddy turned evil" has already been done a lot lately with Cyborg Superman being Zor-El (is that actually still in continuity what with Hank Henshaw taking that role in the current Action arc?) and Jeremiah Danvers in the TV show also being a cyborg.

Considering Oz's identity is supposed to rock Superman at his core, he might not be Ozymandias anymore. Oz has to be someone Superman knows and the most likely options would be a future Jon Kent or Pa Kent. Although Clark got a glimpse at Oz and never recognised him during DC Rebirth #1 so maybe it's not Pa Kent. Hopefully Oz's identity will be worth the wait.